, one of the translators of the Bible in the reign of James I. was
, one of the translators of the Bible
in the reign of James I. was son of William Bois, rector of
West-Stowe, near St. Edmundsbury, in Suffolk, and born
at Nettlestead in that county, Jan. 3, 1560. He was taught
the first rudiments of learning by his father; and his capacity was such, that at the age of five years he read the
Bible in Hebrew, and before he was six could write it in
an elegant hand. He went afterwards to Hadley school,
and at fourteen was admitted of St. John’s college, Cambridge, where he distinguished himself by his skill in the
Greek; and such was his diligence that we are told he
would go to the university library in summer, at four in
the morning, and remain till eight in the evening without
any intermission. Happening to have the small-pox when,
he was elected fellow, to preserve his seniority, he caused
himself to be carried, wrapped up in blankets, to be admitted. He applied himself for some time to the study of
medicine, but fancying himself affected with every disease
he read of, he quitted that science. June 21, 1583, he
was ordained deacon, and next day, by virtue of a dispensation, priest. He was ten years chief Greek lecturer in
his college, and read every day. He voluntarily read a
Greek lecture for some years, at four in the morning, in
liis own chamber, which was frequented by many of the
fellows. On the death of his father, he succeeded him in
the rectory of West Stowe; but his mother going to live
with her brother, he resigned that preferment, though he
might have kept it with his fellowship. At the age of
thirty-six, he married the daughter of Mr. Holt, rector of
Boxworth, in Cambridgeshire, whom he succeeded in that
living, 1596. On quitting the university, the college gave
him one hundred pounds. His young wife, who was bequeathed to him with the living, which was an advowson,
proving a bad economist, and himself being wholly immersed in his studies, he soon became so much in debt,
that he was forced to sell his choice collection of books to
a prodigious disadvantage. The loss of his library afflicted
him so much, that he thought of quitting his native country. He was, however, soon reconciled to his wife, and
he even continued to leave all domestic affairs to her management. He entered into an agreement with twelve of
the neighbouring clergy, to meet every “Friday at one of
their houses by turns, to give an account of their studies.
He usually kept some young scholar in his house, to instruct his own children, and the poorer sort of the town,
as well as several gentlemen’s children, who were boarded
with him. When a new translation of the Bible was, by
James I. directed to be made, Mr. Bois was elected one of
the Cambridge translators. He performed not only his
own, but also the part assigned to another (part of the Apocrypha), with great reputation, though with little profit:
for he had no allowance but his commons. The king indeed nominated him one of the fellows of his new college
at Chelsea, but he never derived any benefit, as the
scheme was not executed. He was also one of the six who
met at Stationers-hall to revise the whole translation of the
Bible, which task they went through in nine months, having each from the company of stationers during that time
thirty shillings a week. He afterwards assisted sir Henry
Saville in publishing the works of St. Chrysostom, and received a present of one copy of the book, for many years
labour spent upon it: which however was owing to the
death of sir Henry Saville, who intended to have made
him fellow of Eton. In 1615, Dr. Lancelot Andrews, bishop of Ely, bestowed on him, unasked, a prebend in his
church. He died 1643, in the 84th year af his age; leaving a great many manuscripts behind him, particularly a
collation of the text of the Gospels and Acts. When he
was a young student at Cambridge, he received from the
learned Dr. Whitaker these three rules, for avoiding those
distempers which usually attend a sedentary life, to which
he constantly adhered: the first was, to study always standing; the second, never to study in a window; the third,
never to go to bed with his feet cold . The work mentioned above, which Wolfius says is
” Liber infrequentissimus etrarissime occurrens,“owing to very few copies having been printed, was entitled
” Veteris interpretis cum
Beza aliisque recentioribus Collatio in Quatuor Evangeliis et Apostolorum Actis, autore Johanne Boisio, Eccl.
Eliensis Canonico, opus auspiciis rev. Praesulis Lancelot!,
Winton. Episc. caeptum et perfectum," Lond. 1655,
12mo.
I. he was one of the four divines for the conference at Hampton-court, and the same year was chosen one of the translators of the Bible, and was one of the Cambridge
, first master of Emanuel-college, Cambridge, and a benefactor to that house, was
born of an ancient family at Chatterton, in Lancashire, in
1546. His parents were papists, and educated him in that
religion, sending him afterwards to study law in one of the
inns of court, but in the twentieth year of his age, he renounced this pursuit, and went to Cambridge, where his
talents and industry recommended him to a scholarship in
Christ’s-college. His father, enraged at this, sent him a
bag with a groat in it, and told him he might beg, as he
meant to disinherit him, and afterwards executed his threat.
Young Chaderton, however, persisted in his studies, and
in 1567, when B.A., was chosen fellow of his college. In
1578 he commenced B, D. and in the same year preached
a sermon at St. Paul’s cross, which he afterwards printed.
He was then chosen lecturer of St. Clement’s church,
Cambridge, where he preached for about sixteen years,
much followed and admired. Such was his reputation for
learning and piety, that when sir Walter Mildmay refounded Emanuel college, in 1584, he chose Chaderton
for the first master, and on his expressing some reluctance,
declared that if Chaderton would not be master, the foundation should not go on. In the beginning of the reign
of James I. he was one of the four divines for the conference at Hampton-court, and the same year was chosen
one of the translators of the Bible, and was one of the
Cambridge divines who translated from Chronicles to Canticles inclusive. In 1612, when the prince elector palatine
visited Cambridge, he requested Mr. Chaderton to commence D. D. with which he complied; and having regretted
that the founder of Emanuel had provided for only three
fellows, he made such application among his friends, as to
make provision for twelve fellows, and above forty scholars,
and procured some church livings for the college. Towards the close of his life, when Arminian doctrines became prevalent, dreading lest he might have an Arminian
successor, he resigned in favour of Dr. Preston, but survived him, and lived also to see Drs. Sancroft and Holdsworth masters. He was a man of acknowledged piety,
benevolence, and learning, and lived in great respect for
many years after his resignation. He died Nov. 1640,
aged about ninety-four, and was buried in St. Andrew’s
church. He appears to have been related to Dr. William
Cha-derton, successively bishop of Chester and Lincoln,
of whom some account is given by Peck in the preface to
his “Desiderata.
” Besides the sermon noticed above,
Dr. L. Chaderton wrote a treatise on Justification, which
Anthony Thysius, professor of divinity at Leyden, published with other tracts on the same subject; and some of
his Mss. are still in the public libraries, particularly in
the Brit, Mus, among the Harleian Mss. Moreri says his
“Life
” was published by William Dillingham, at Cambridge, in 1700, but this we have not seen.
, one of the translators of the Bible, of whose family history we
, one of the translators of the Bible, of whose family history we have no account, was educated at Westminster school, whence being removed to Cambridge, he was admitted of Trinity college May 8, 1587; chosen junior fellow there Oct. 3, 1593, and senior fellow March 16th following. In 1601 he took the degree of B. D. and was sworn Greek lecturer of that college (an annual office) Oct. 2, 1602. In July 1604 he was chosen professor of divinity in Gresham college, to which he was recommended, in the most honourable terms, not only by the vice-chancellor and several heads of houses at Cambridge, but also by some of the nobility, and even by king James I. in a letter to the Gresham committee. His majesty’s object seems to have been that Mr. Dakins should not be without a suitable provision while employed on the new translation of the Bible, undertaken by royal order, and for a part of which important work Mr. Dakins was considered as excellently qualified by his skill in the Oriental languages. The translators being divided into six classes, two of which were to meet at Westminster, two at Oxford, and two at Cambridge, Mr. Dakins was one of those at Westminster, and his part was the Epistles of St. Paul and the canonical Epistles. He did not, however, live to see the work completed, as he died in Feb. 1607, a few months after being chosen junior dean of Trinity college.